SANTA CRUZ -- Cameron Jones was considered one of the more significant snubs when his name was left missing from the 20 players selected to the NBA D-League All-Star Game last week.

Thursday's announcement might be considered a corrective measure.

The Santa Cruz Warriors guard was one of five prospects named as a replacement player to the D-League All-Star Game, scheduled for Saturday in New Orleans as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.

The game will be televised live at noon on NBA TV.

The 6-foot-4 Jones will replace Rio Grande Valley's Isaiah Canaan on the Prospects roster, meaning he will be playing against Santa Cruz teammates Seth Curry and Hilton Armstrong, each of whom was selected to the Futures team when the All-Star rosters were unveiled last week.

Canaan is currently on the Houston Rockets roster and is ineligible to play.

"It feels pretty good," said Jones, who has eclipsed 20 points or more in 14 of Santa Cruz's 30 games this season. "I knew some guys would probably back out, so I was ready."

Jones believed he had a strong chance of being named to the All-Star team last week. His name narrowly missed the cut, however.

The original 20 players selected to the All-Star Game were voted in by the league's 17 head coaches, with the replacements representing the players with the next highest vote totals among coaches.

"It wasn't necessarily disappointing," Jones said of the voting shortfall. "There's only 10 spots, and the guard position is pretty loaded. So I'm just fortunate I have the opportunity to go."

Dewayne Dedmon, a 7-foot post who is currently listed on the Warriors' roster, was one of the original 20 players voted into the All-Star Game. But Dedmon won't play in Saturday's game and will instead sit out for rest, according to the league.

Dedmon is believed to be weighing interest among NBA teams. He was cut by the Philadelphia 76ers last week following the conclusion of his second 10-day contract.

Canton's Arinze Onuaku replaces Dedmon on the Futures team.

Still, Santa Cruz will be well represented with Jones, Curry and Armstrong -- two more All-Stars than the Warriors had last season. Santa Cruz was initially shut out of any All-Star selections last year before then-Warriors guard Travis Leslie earned a spot as a replacement player.

Leslie went on to earn All-Star MVP honors.

Santa Cruz coach Casey Hill informed Jones of his All-Star status prior to Monday's game against the Los Angeles D-Fenders in El Segundo. Jones afterward was able to celebrate the news with most of his family, who were in from Long Beach and attended the game.

"It was kind of a relief," Jones said. "A happy relief."

Named the Most Improved Player in the D-League last season, Jones has seen many of his statistical numbers go up this year. He's increased his scoring (from 12.6 points per game to 18.7), rebounding (2.9 to 3.8) and assists (2.3 to 3.4). His shooting percentage has taken a slight dip through the first 30 games this season, but Jones has improved from behind the arc and at the free-throw line.

"I think, in my opinion, based on where he started, he's the most deserved," Hill said. "I think all the players who made it deserved it. But Cam's a special case, based on how far he's come and how far he's developed."

A great teammate who's improved his game vastly since his first year in the D-League, Hill said, Jones was considered "soft" on the defensive end when he first joined the league in 2011-12.

"But I've never seen it and I know it's not true," Hill added. "He continues to prove people wrong and I'm really happy for him. He deserves it."